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How Much?

That is the question I asked when someone told me about this store. And it followed the statement, "Everything is 10L!". I have blogged their items before and thought it time to show you some of their new items.

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I Admit It

I have been a bad blogger over the last few days. I have been cruising round SL and taking time to look at stuff which means I have neglected my blogging duties. I have smacked my own hand and given myself a stern talking to. I also think I grounded myself, but if I do the 'sad puss n boots face' I think I can get out of that.

Anyway, to make up for being AWOL I will show you some yumminess!

Poses are from PNP and so is the background in their Halloween 2 Pack.

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Boo!

'Twas the week before Halloween
And all through sims
Was a flurry of buying
To show the dark avi within...

Today is more ZombiePopcorn and some freebies I found at Ho Wear. The first two pics are freebies and the rest are hunt items!

I also want to thank the owners of Drama Libre for letting me borrow their 'Children of the Corn' themed sim for these pics. They do a different theme each week and this week's 'Children of the Corn' party is Sat 7pm to 11pm SL time. Take the TP, go through the shed and into the trailer and use the Anywhere Door.

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Last Word On It All

I promised you I would get back to you on why certain hunts have banned decoys, so here it is. I talked to the hunt organiser today and asked her why they had banned them from their hunts.

This is what they said:

"Well, we dont allow them because we find them an annoyance to hunters, we dont want hunters to be misrable and so ready to leave a store that they never come back."

"We had one store that did it on our first hunt and we had the most complaints about that store we decided to not allow it the next time. Our hunts are non-skipable though, like the way it was when hunts first started."

I responded that I also see the frustration from a vendor point of view and that I was not aware of the area search capablities of two of the viewers

This was the reply to that:

"Yes you're right, you can even buy a hud now that has an area search function built in just for hunt purposes."

I told them that I felt for the vendors on this point and could understand their frustration.

They replied:

"Those huds and area search can be confused by just renaming normal prims, for example a vendor can raname the pieces of the floor the same name as the hunt prim."

I thought this seemed a great idea and I asked them what they thought about the new trend of loads of visible decoys and they came back with:

"There's nothing worse than spending a long time somewhere only to find a decoy, it just makes you pissed off."

I said that I had seen a couple of places with over 50 at least.

They said that one hunt encouraged them as they had the reputation of being the hardest hunt on the grid, but even they apparently limited the amount to 10.

"So, I think anything above that is just stupidity in my opinion."

I also asked their opinion on the area search capability and they responded:

"We have been vendors in hunts for years now and have seen many different ways to cheat the system, area search just the most recent. To be honest if people are going to cheat they will find a way regardless of if a place has decoys or not, so in effect the only thing decoys do is frustrate genuine hunters who dont cheat, and in our eyes thats a bad thing."

I told them that I felt cheating has possibly ruined it for true hunters and they summed it up by saying:

"If they choose to cheat, really what harm does it do? Not much. If anything they are only cheating themselves out of what might be an enjoyable experience if they just tried genuinely hunting."

I totally agreed.

In summary, I think that there are ways vendors can effectively foil the area searchers without adding to lag and frustration, but I also feel that as hunters we have a responsibility to not encourage cheating and to give stores all the support they deserve.

I hope you have found this as informative and helpful as I have.

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That Time Again

Yes, it is that time of year again when I show you all things gory and dark. I have been busy hunting for popcorn, but not just any popcorn. No. ZombiePopcorn. This is probably not the kind you would want at the movies, unless you want it to eat you! The ZombiePopcorn website is here: BRAAAINS

I loved this hunt! It was fun with a side of challenge. The hunt group were awesome and very helpful, and the hints were great too.

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On The Other Hand

It has been really interesting getting your responses and feedback on the use of decoys in hunts and in hunts in general.

A whole heap of you liked the idea of having hunt ratings. Mister and I were trying to make up some today, but mostly they were not good. For example, I think, "May end up in straight jacket, rocking in corner of padded cell," is just a bit wordy. Hehe. I would love to hear your ideas for hunt a hunt rating scale.

Today I talked to some vendors and a hunt organiser about the use of decoys and I was interested in it all from their point of view and I learned some new facts that I was unaware of.

The first thing I learned is that there was originally a good reason for decoys. This came about when some viewers introduced 'area searches'.

"Areasearch is a feature of Phoenix that tries to locate items near to you, based on the objects' names, owners, active group, and/or descriptions."

This function can also be found in Firestorm and means that hunters no longer need to even enter stores, and can simply teleport in and use area search to find hunt items.

Because this defeated the purpose of hunts, which is to promote stores, vendors felt the need to use invisible decoys to thwart the radars so that people actually needed to enter the stores to find items.

The hunt organiser I talked to said she felt that hunt numbers had declined since area searches came into existence.

"Why would a store owner want to make an item and spend all that money and time to promote their store when the hunter is going to stand outside and scan and cam for it?"

"Say that Vendor X goes and spends 10k on a skin template to make a skin for the hunt and then people just stand outside and take it, it's just bad for everyone."

We also discussed the use of excessive decoy usage that seems to be prevalent and she agreed that this was unnecessary.

I think that vendors also need to be aware that not all viewers have the area search capability and so by using 100 decoys we are all punished by the actions of a few, although I do understand their frustration.

I am also aware of certain hunt organisers who have banned the use of decoys from their hunts. I contacted one of these organisers today and asked them why they have taken this stance, and will let you know when I get their reply.

I have decided that it is about attitude. I hunt to find new stores, blog awesome freebies and look at things as I go. If I like the items I go back and look around more closely. Hunts have led to me finding some of my fav SL stores. I also make a point of thanking hunt organisers and have, at times, thanked individual designers for their awesome gifts.

I know what they do is not easy. Hang, if it was we would all be doing it. It takes creativity, patience, time and money. It is often a labour of love.

Vendors, I understand why you initially introduced the decoy and the intent behind it. All I am saying is that moderation may be the key. Having 100 visible decoys scattered about may turn some people off and also adds to lag issues. Hunters, who commented to me, said that they would often bypass stores where this is happening, so be aware. I also know that some hunters love this challenge, so perhaps it is looking at the style of hunt and theme and deciding if it is 'right' for the hunt.

Hunters, please be thoughtful of the store owners and don't be greedy and rude. These stores do not have to be in hunts, they choose to be. Go into the stores, look around, subscribe to them, join groups and be thankful for whatever you get.

I want to thank all the store owners, fellow-hunters and event organisers for talking to me and making me look at this issue from both sides. I appreciate your politeness. Thank you.

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Autumn is Here

Today it is my turn to show some items from The Seasons Hunt that I finished yesterday, since Mister got in before me!

The background I am using is in the Whimsy background pack and is from Props and Poses.

Before I do that I would like to take this time to thank all the awesome people I met on this hunt for their help and company. I had a blast and you made it all the more fun.

I would also like the thank the designers and hunt organisers. This was a fun hunt and the items are of a high quality!

I was discussing with some friends of mine in a hunt group I am in (actually, more like shopping addicts) about hunts. Here is my thoughts blended in with some of theirs:

I decided that it would be good to have some sort of hunt rating, so that people were aware of the intensity and difficulty of a hunt overall. This would be useful for new hunters and also for seasoned ones who like things a bit trickier. It then lets the hunter know what they are in for.

I personally dislike decoys. This was not the total consensus of the group, but it is my personal feelings which some others also shared. I guess I like the mid-range hunts. Not too easy, but not ones that make me extremely frustrated and grumpy. I am happy to spend up to half an hour hunting and then if I don't find it, I move on.

It seems to me (but please feel free to disagree) that the purpose of hunts is to promote the individual stores. If I have spent a long time in a store with 100 decoys, it does not make me inclined to want to hang out there or revisit, which seems to defeat the intended purpose of the hunt. If I go to McDonalds and the service is terrible and my time there leaves me hating the place then I am not likely to feel the need to return. I will go to Burger King instead. However, some people love the challenge of decoys, which brings me back to point 1. A rating system would be helpful.

The decoys also add to the lag, which is no fun for anyone. As a friend of mine said, "No one likes hunting in pudding, even if it is chocolate!" Hunts are supposed to be fun for everyone; both for vendors and hunters. I know I prefer fun to extreme frustration!

Now, please don't get me wrong. I love hunts and I appreciate the hard work and sacrifice of the designers. I did my first hunt when they were a new thing and I have been hooked ever since. But, I do know that the recent trend to foil and frustrate hunters leaves me cold. There are certain hunts I shy away from for this reason, but I am also aware that some people thrive on this challenge. I guess I would just like to know what I am in for before I begin.

I would be interested in your feedback on this. I might be way off!

(I am climbing off my soapbox now and getting on with the clothes....)

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Fall into the Season Hunt

The Seasons Hunt is back and again, it holds up to it's reputation. Guys, do yourself a favor and take part because there are a lot of great stores on the list. In this hunt, you're looking for a pumpkin. The pumpkin can vary in size.

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Mulberry

It is time yet again for the Blogger Colour Challenge and I have held off posting this skin and accessories all week just so I could use it for this. I saw it and thought, "Mulberry". The skin, ears, teeth and feet are all from Heartsick and were a group gift. The hair is from Tukinowaguma and is called Rage. Eyes are from a closed store named Firefall and the knives and poses are from Magnifique. The ivy is from an old costume and I cannot find the store it came from, so is probably gone. Sad.

The beautiful scene this was taken in is from Purple Pixie Designs and is called Pandora.

And, since it is not far til Halloween, she took on a slightly menacing look...

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

William Butler Yeats

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G is for Grungy

I thought I would GRUNGE it up this week since the letter for the Alphabet Blogger Challenge is G. I had fun with this one. I didn't have a lot of stores starting with G, but the outfit came together easily, although when I had finished I realised that a few of the items were from one store. Oh, well.

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New and Review

I got sent some awesome items to show you and I just couldn't wait. They are delightful and delicious! They are from three stores and I want to thank the designers for consistently making awesome clothes for me to wear. I am egocentric like that!

I also had to show you the awesome 50L Friday item from Miel and more of the backgrounds from Props-n-Poses.